It's nice to be back...

Hi Everyone,



Believe it or not I finally found the time to actually add to the main blog. I'm sure Travis will have a heart attach because I told him I would do this months ago but I find myself very limited in time, so I apologize for that. As you can see we are an all boys family, with the exception of Joy of course. I think we do more chasing than anything with this active bunch. I think it took about an hour to take this picture because we couldn't get Sam to focus long enough to take it. Sam is the one on the left in front of me. I wouldn't trade any of them though and they sure bring alot of smiles and happiness to our home.



Right after highschool I worked that summer at the good old machine shop in Duchesne saving money for college. I attempted a year of college at then UVSC, in the drafting and engineering program and it was a big eye opener for me compaired to highshool. I did enjoy it after I got into the swing of college life.






In July of 1989 I went on a mission to the Toyko North Japan mission and I had no idea what an eye opener really was until I stepped off the airplane in a country that is completely backwords from the good old USA. In July it's also like a stream oven over there but everything is very green. This really was a life changing experience for me which I will never forget. It was one of the most difficult things I have ever done but wouldn't trade it for the world. I really have to thanks all of those who made it possible for me to go and who sacrificed MUCH to make this possible, and I think you know who you are.
After returning home I finished college at UVSC while working a part time job in my field. My first project I ever worked on was one of the multi-story buildings at BYU. After working on it for a few months my trainer quit and left me to run the entire project, not having a clue what I was doing. At the time I didn't like it at all and was very stressed out but now looking back I see it as a great blessing because it excellerated my learning in the steel industry dramatically.

In 1992 Joy and I were married and spent our first year living in a small apartment in Provo. We then moved in with Joy's grandmother, shortly after her grandfather passed away, to help take care of her grandmother who was really struggling with the death of her good husband. After about a year we were sort of forced out by Joy's uncle who decided out of the blue to retire from the military and move in with his his three kids and nine cats. Well, nine might be a bit of an exageration but it seemed like that many. In the meantime, while living at Joy's grandmothers we had, and lost our first child, Megan. She came almost two months early but to this day we have no idea why she died. The ultrasound a week before showed she was healthy and her heart was beating strong. I guess this was to start one of many challenges in our lives, as Travis can later attest.

We then moved to Pleasant Grove for a while and lived just down the street from my brother, Jeff. About a year later we found a nice little apartment in Springville, right next to Travis where we lived for a few years. It was really nice and almost felt like we were living back home in Duchesne, with Travis right next door and him mother just around the corner. Living here proved to be a great blessing in our lives because of very good friends and family around but also proved to be the hardest time in our lives, the after affects we still feel today.

We then bought our first home at the north end of Springville that we really loved. Although we were sad to move away from Travis and him mom, we were very excited to get in a brand new home. However, this was short lived, literally, because I got a new job offer that brought us up to Cache Valley. We only lived in our new home about nine months before moving but Cache Valley is a very beautiful place and is a much slower paced enviroment than Utah County. We lived in a small apartment while our new home was being built in Hyde Park. We have now lived here in Hyde Park almost ten years and have really enjoyed it. Sam and Todd were both born here but Robert was born while we were living in Springville. We really have been blessed with great places to live and have made life long friend along the way.






For fun the boys just can't get enough of Disneyland. We have annual passes and try to go at least twice a year. I know this isn't an actual picture of Disneyland but I couldn't find any of our Disneyland pictures so I will have to find and post them later. We usually stay a week each time we go and make an effort to get the boys to the beach for a bit of fun in the sun. Robert's favorite ride is, of course, Indiana Jones. Sam's favorite is the Buzz lightyear ride and Todd's favorite is the run away train. I think I just settle for "It's a small world ride" where I can hear that annoying tune in my head for weeks after. Actually I really like the Pirates of the Caribean and screamin myself. Joy really likes splash mountain but it takes her all day to muster up the courage to go on it. As you can tell she's a real daredevil. It's all a great time and we really enjoy the time away.












When I'm not working this is another activity the boys love to do...beat up on dad. I don't get much wrestling on the mat anymore but I sure get a lot of it in our house. It's a great time to spend with them but as you can see, as usual I'm on the bottom getting my butt kicked. Hopefully these guys will learn a few things and be better than I ever was.













This is Robert, our oldest, who is now 12 years old going on 18. He is one stubborn kid sometimes, which can be good at times but drives me crazy at others. He loves to build things but has to do it himself. One time when he was 3 years old I was trying to tie his shoes and he kept wanting to try it himself. He finally slapped my hand and said, "I do it myself". The stubborn little turkey figured out how to do it "all by his self". Robert is in the 6th grade this year and does very well. His favorite subjects are math and science. He also loves sports and is very active in them. He plays football in the fall, wrestling in the winter and baseball in the spring. We have also tried to give him some other experiences with 4H and piano lessons. This next year in school he is going to try playing the french horn in band is pretty excited about it. He also has a great hand at pencil drawings. He really is a great kid and has a lot of great friends. I'm really glad to have him.








This is Sam and as you can tell just by his smile, he is a very happy boy. Sam is rarely sad and if he ever is, you know something is really wrong. He brings so much laughter and happiness to our home and we would be very lost without him. Sam is 7 years old and in the 1st grade. He is extemely smart and has an almost photographic memory. He taught himself to read when he was 3 years old and now reads on about a 5th or 6th grade level. He really has the ability to recall things he has only heard once, months down the road. I sure wish I was blessed with that. He loves school and loves his teacher, Mrs. Maungam. She really handles him well, being a busy and active boy who can't sit still for anything. We put him in soccer this year rather than baseball because he is so active. He thought baseball was so boring and would sit out on the bases and pull grass. Sam really is a great boy and is very loving and tender hearted. Of all our boys he is always the first to say sorry or give a hug. We do have to watch him close though because he has no problem walking up to a complete stranger and saying, "Hi, my name is Sam, what's yours?". He loves to talk to people and is not one bit shy about it. We love him and he is our sunshine.

This is Todd who is 5 years old. He will be going to kindergarten this next year and is very excited about it. We kept him home an extra year rather than sending him too early. We felt he just wasn't as ready to go as the other two boys were. He has a June birthday so he will be one of the oldest in his class. Todd is our thinker and comes up with the funniest things you would ever hear. He is a major teaser and torments his brothers to death. If some of you thought I was a nick namer, Baboon Butt and Hippo and Electric Grape Ape, Todd puts me to shame. He has nick names for all of his brothers. Todd is also very smart but thinks about things before he speaks. Sam and Robert are very whitty but Todd really thinks before acting. Todd has a wreslers build with not an ounce of fat on his body. He has the best coordination of all the brothers and shows it gymnastics and tennis. He says he wants to try wrestling this year so we will see how that works out. He also loves basketball too so I may have a fight on my hands, haha. Todd is also a great boy and is very obedient. He is the first to do what you ask him to do and has no problems working in the yard with dad getting dirty and shoveling dirt. he also doesn't give up until the job is done. I can't say the same about the other two. I am sure glad to have Todd. He's a really good boy.

Here is an example of some of the work I do. This is a project I worked on last year and believe it or not it's a space shuttle coming out of the middle of this building. The other unbelievable thing is it's an elementary school. This is one of few NASA authorized space camp facilities throughout the USA and it's in Ogden. If any of you want to see it, it's right on Washington in Ogden, Utah. And, I thought that Trig and Calculas was somewhat a waste of time in highschool. Well, I can attest it's not and I used a lot of it on this project. Along with doing detail drawings for fabricators, I also do a lot of design work like this, and engineering. Anything to do with structural steel, I do it. Projects I work on range from retail and grocery stores to high rise and multi-story office buildings to specialty projects like this one. I have done well over 200 Home Depots and Lowes throughout the county so next time you walk in one, especially in Utah or California, chances are I did it. Yes, you who live in vernal, next time you go to Lowes, think of me. I mostly do work from Hawaii to Texas. I am currenty doing two big projects in both Hawaii and Alaska. I run my own business and it's been very rewarding, although I wish I could work a few less hours.

I sure miss seeing all of you but I love looking through year books and remembering all the good times we had. Each one of you had an impact in my life in some way and have been a part of shaping who I am today. I really appreciate all of your patience with me growing up and especially with my dad being the principal for a bit. Yes, I got a lot of opportunities that most didn't get but it was also very difficult always being watched by my parents. Most of you didn't get that wonderful chance of getting in trouble like I did for dragging girls into the shower room and the girls being a bit surprised seeing several boys buck naked in the shower, even though I was one of those standing in the shower. How does that happen? Hmmm...one of those wonderful times my dad decided to have me be in trouble even though I did nothing wrong, and he knew it. One of those example things I guess. However, there were many other times I really deserved getting in trouble. I'm sure Travis remembers the time we sat on the roof until 3:00 am in the morning guarding the prom with BB guns thinking we were Rambo and would plug anyone who tried to enter. The seniors seemed to get in anyway the next morning, I think with a lot of help from John Foster if I remember right. I think it was right through the front doors with a key. We were certain they would come in from the roof though a vent or something. We were such idiots.

I'm sure most of you didn't know about our many adventures we made through the school, borrowing my dad's keys of course...without his knowledge most of the time, to check out every corner of the school. I don't think there was an inch of that school I didn't know.

I really look forward to seeing you all again. I hope the reunion will be at a time when most, if not all, can come.